Three technical changes in the definition of poverty are described in "Characteristics of the Population Below the Poverty Level, 1980," Census Bureau, Current Population Reports, Series P-60, No. 133: (1) Distinctions based on the sex of the family householder will no longer be made; (2) income thresholds for farm families will be the same as for nonfarm families of the same size and composition, and (3) the increased sample size will now permit separate poverty income criteria for families of 7, 8, and 9 or more persons. Separate criteria for these family sizes by number of children have been developed by the Social Security Administration for the base year 1978 on the same basis as the original poverty matrix for smaller family sizes, and then updated by means of the all-items CPI. The dollar thresholds for larger families beginning in 1980 are:

Year

7 persons

8 persons

9 personsor more

1980

12,761

14,199

16,896

1981

14,110

15,655

18,572

1982

15,036

16,719

19,698

1983

15,500

17,170

20,310

1984

16,096

17,961

21,247

1985

16,656

18,512

22,083

1986

17,049

18,791

22,497

1987

17,649

19,515

23,105

1988

18,232

20,253

24,129

1989

19,162

21,328

25,480

1990

20,241

22,582

26,848

1991

21,058

23,605

27,942

1992

21,594

24,053

28,745

1993

22,383

24,838

29,529

1994

22,923

25,427

30,300

1995

23,552

26,237

31,280

1996

24,268

27,091

31,971

1997

24,802

27,593

32,566

1998

25,257

28,166

33,339

1999

25,912

28,967

34,417

2000

26,754

29,701

35,060

2001

27,517

30,627

36,286

2002

28,001

30,907

37,062

2003

28,544

31,589

37,656

2004

29,236

32,641

39,048

2005

30,249

33,610

40,288

2006

31,205

34,774

41,499

2007

32,233

35,816

42,739

2008

33,529

37,220

44,346

2009 b

33,410

37,088

44,188

a. Beginning in January 1978, the Bureau of Labor Statistics introduced a new price index for all urban consumers (CPI-U) for all items (1982–1984 = 100) that forms a continuous series with the earlier index for urban wage earners and for clerical workers as of December 1977.

Table 3.E4 Current living arrangements of persons aged 65 or older, by sex and poverty status, March 2009

Living arrangement

Population (thousands)

Percentage distribution

Percentage officially poor

Total

Poor

Nonpoor

Total

Poor

Nonpoor

All persons aged 65 or older

Total

37,788

3,656

34,132

100.0

100.0

100.0

9.7

Unrelated individuals

12,382

2,127

10,255

32.8

58.2

30.0

17.2

Family members

25,405

1,529

23,877

67.2

41.8

70.0

6.0

Householder or spouse

23,111

1,337

21,774

61.2

36.6

63.8

5.8

Other relative a

2,295

192

2,103

6.1

5.3

6.2

8.4

Poor by own income

972

152

820

2.6

4.2

2.4

15.6

Not poor by own income

1,323

40

1,283

3.5

1.1

3.8

3.0

Men

Subtotal

16,308

1,092

15,216

43.2

29.9

44.6

6.7

Unrelated individuals

3,565

443

3,122

9.4

12.1

9.1

12.4

Family members

12,743

649

12,094

33.7

17.8

35.4

5.1

Householder

7,941

381

7,559

21.0

10.4

22.1

4.8

Spouse of householder

4,253

217

4,037

11.3

5.9

11.8

5.1

Other relative a

549

51

498

1.5

1.4

1.5

9.3

Poor by own income

205

40

164

0.5

1.1

0.5

19.5

Not poor by own income

345

11

334

0.9

0.3

1.0

3.2

Women

Subtotal

21,480

2,564

18,916

56.8

70.1

55.4

11.9

Unrelated individuals

8,817

1,684

7,133

23.3

46.1

20.9

19.1

Family members

12,662

880

11,782

33.5

24.1

34.5

6.9

Householder, no husband present

1,948

293

1,654

5.2

8.0

4.8

15.0

Householder with husband present

3,302

154

3,148

8.7

4.2

9.2

4.7

Wife of householder

5,667

291

5,375

15.0

8.0

15.7

5.1

Other relative a

1,746

141

1,605

4.6

3.9

4.7

8.1

Poor by own income

767

112

656

2.0

3.1

1.9

14.6

Not poor by own income

978

29

949

2.6

0.8

2.8

3.0

SOURCE: Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, public-use file of the March 2009 Income Supplement.

NOTES: Living arrangements as of March 2009.

Poverty status in 2008 as reflected by income of unrelated individual or family money income for year compared with official poverty income criterion for families of appropriate size and composition.

Table includes civilian noninstitutionalized population residing in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Totals do not necessarily equal the sum of rounded components.

For a discussion of standard errors of estimated numbers and percentages, see Census Bureau, Current Population Reports, Series P-60.

a. Aged family members who are neither the family householder nor the spouse of the householder. Official poverty classification is based on combined income of all related persons living together. Persons in this group are classified here on the basis of official poverty criteria for family income and on a comparison of their own income with official poverty criteria for elderly persons maintaining their own households. The hidden poor are other relatives in nonpoor households whose own income is below the official poverty line for unrelated individuals or married couples.

NOTES: Except for Alaska and Hawaii. Guidelines for Alaska and Hawaii since 1980 are:

Year

Alaska

Hawaii

1 person

Increment

1 person

Increment

1980

4,760

1,520

4,370

1,400

1981

5,410

1,720

4,980

1,580

1982

5,870

1,920

5,390

1,770

1983

6,080

2,100

5,600

1,930

1984

6,240

2,170

5,730

2,000

1985

6,560

2,250

6,040

2,070

1986

6,700

2,350

6,170

2,160

1987

6,860

2,380

6,310

2,190

1988

7,210

2,450

6,650

2,250

1989

7,480

2,550

6,870

2,350

1990

7,840

2,680

7,230

2,460

1991

8,290

2,820

7,610

2,600

1992

8,500

2,980

7,830

2,740

1993

8,700

3,080

8,040

2,820

1994

9,200

3,100

8,470

2,850

1995

9,340

3,200

8,610

2,940

1996

9,660

3,280

8,910

3,010

1997

9,870

3,400

9,070

3,130

1998

10,070

3,500

9,260

3,220

1999

10,320

3,520

9,490

3,240

2000

10,430

3,630

9,590

3,340

2001

10,730

3,780

9,890

3,470

2002

11,080

3,850

10,200

3,540

2003

11,210

3,930

10,330

3,610

2004

11,630

3,980

10,700

3,660

2005

11,950

4,080

11,010

3,750

2006

12,250

4,250

11,270

3,910

2007

12,770

4,350

11,750

4,000

2008

13,000

4,500

11,960

4,140

2009

13,530

4,680

12,460

4,300

2010

13,530

4,680

12,460

4,300

Separate figures for Alaska and Hawaii reflect Office of Economic Opportunity administrative practice beginning in the 1966–1970 period. The Census Bureau, producer of the primary version of the poverty measure (the poverty thresholds), does not produce separate figures for Alaska and Hawaii.

Before 1983, the guidelines shown are for nonfarm families only.

a. The guidelines are effective from the date of issuance (unless otherwise specified by a particular program using them).

b. Add this amount for each additional family member. Before 1973, increments between some of the smaller family sizes differed from the increment shown in the table. Beginning in 1973, the increment has been the same for all family sizes in each year's set of guidelines.